Process of uniting bats to hat-bodies.



No. 741,327. v PATENTBD OOT. 13, 19011l R. L. GORDON.

PROOBss OF UNITINO BATS To HAT BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

NITED STATES Patented October 13, 1903.

. Artnr rieten..

PROCESS OF UNITING BATS TO HATWBODIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,327, dated October13, 1903. Application inea May 29.1902. saranno. 109,440. (No specimensTo a/ZZ whom if may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. GORDON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of the village of Mattawan, county of Dutchess,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Processes of Uniting Bats to Hat-Bodies, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to prevent the large percentage ofdefective goods which is produced by the ordinary process of napping ahat-body. This obj ect is accomplished partly by stitching the nap-batto the hatbody at an early stage in the napping operation and partly bytearing the edge of the hat-body to the desired size and shape insteadof cutting the same with a sharp knife.

Nap-bats are produced by blowing the fur or other material upon aperforated or eX- hausted surface in a so-called forming-machine to forma layer or nap-bat of suitable size and shape for application to thehatbody.

Hat-bodies are at the present time made both of fiat and conical shape,and the napbat is produced in a foriningmachine of either shape that maybe required for application to the hat-body. The layer of fur comprisingthenap-bat is too soft to bear handling,'and is commonly removed fromthe forming cone or plate by pressing the hatbody upon it until itadheres. sufficiently to transfer the nap-bat to the body. The hat-bodyand nap-bat are then subjected to pressure under aso-called vibratingjigger, which Works the fur of the nap-bat (While in a dry condition) alittle into the substance of the hat-body. It is then common to dampenthe nap-bat to strengthen it and increase its adhesion to the body andto then roll the body and bat in a damp cloth and knead and Work thesame by hand to stick7 the napbat to the body sufficiently to bear thesubsequent processes of scalding and a harder treatment Which Works thefibers of the bat into the body to produce a flowing nap.

As no means has been heretofore known for attaching the nap-batpositively and se curely to the hat-body before Working and kneading itin a cloth, it is a frequent occurrence for the nap-bat to slip upon thebody during such treatment, and thus deprive one edge of the hat-body ofthe proper furry coating. The nap bat has also during such kneading andWorking been often torn by such slipping, so that when the napping wasconcluded a bald place would appear, which could only be cured bysticking a piece of a nap-bat upon the same and subjecting the hat anewto the sticking and napping operation. The difficulty in producing aperfect nap by such previous methods has led to the present invention,in which the nap-bat and the hat-body are secured together by stitchingas soon as the bat has been pressed upon the hat-body With sufficientfirmness to retain its place during the sewing operation. Suchstitching'or sewing of the bat to the body, especially at the margin,has been found by experience to retain the nap-bat in its requiredposition upon the body during the entire subsequent treatment, andthereby avoid the slipping and tearing of the bat before the nap wascompleted.

As the slipping of the bat exposes the margin of the hat-body, it isobvious that some means of holding the nap-batfsecurely to the edge ofthe hat-body during the napping operation is of especial value, and ithas been found that a row of stitches can be used for such purposeWithout preventing the Working of the nap into the hat-body by the usualmeans and without in any manner disfiguring the brim of the hat when thenap is finished. The insertion of the roots of the napping fibers intothe felt all around the stitches serves to completely conceal thestitches in the finished product.

It has been common in the manufacture of napped hats to reduce the edgeof the body to the desired size by a sharp knife before applying anap-bat thereto, as it could not be cut after napping Without disguringthe IOO 55 y very readily inserted through the felt and edge instead ofcutting them smoothly. Such l shearing or tearing may be done either byhand or by any convenient mechanism; but the most rapid and effectivemeans consists of a sewing-machine with a broken needle inserted in theneedle-carrier and operated to punch a row of holes around the brimwhere it is to be severed, like the division in a sheet ofpostage-stamps. When thus punched upon the desired line, the edge of thebody can be readily torn olf, leaving the edge in such a rough andfibrous condition that the nap adheres toit as perfectly as to the othersurfaces of the body.

The natureof my improvements will be understood by reference to theannexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the old form ofhat-body before the bat has been attached. Fig. 2 is an enlargedcross-section of such hatbody, showing the bat attached thereto. Fig. 3is a plan view of a new form of hat-body before the bat has beenattached with rough edge prepared by the method described. Fig. 4 is anenlarged cross-section of the same after the bat has been attached. Fig.5 is a plan View of the hat-body after the nap has been attached in themanner hereinafter described, and Fig. 6 is a plan View of the hatbodycompletely finished with the nap raised thereon.

Similar letters relate to similar parts throughout the several views.

A designates the felt hat-body, and B the nap-bat. Fig. l shows the bodywith a smooth edge, such as is produced by cutting into the desiredshape with a sharp knife, and Fig. 2 shows such a body with the nap-batapplied in readiness for the treatment which is required to insert thenapping fibers into the body. When such a body and nap-bat are subjectedto the napping operation, the fibers do not readily penetrate the smoothedge of the body, and such edge is therefore imperfectly napped.Furthermore, the bat when not adherent to the edge of the hat-body isliable to slip away from the edge and producetheimperfectionsabovedescribed. Suchslipping prevents the fur iibersfrom becoming rooted in the body and produces an imperfect nap on thebody. Such defects in the nap are obviated by producing a rough edge onthe body, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and by connecting the nap-bat andthe hat-body securely together by a series of stitches E, which are'nap-bat adjacent to the edge, as shown in Fig. 5.

A single row of stitches has been found in practice adequate to hold thenap-bat securely in place upon the hat-body during the scaldingoperation and the entire subsequent treatment required to root thenapping fibers in the body. The attachment of the nap to the edge of thebody prevents the edge of the nap from injury and holds all parts of thenap equally in place. It has also been found that the stitches beingapplied before the nap is raised are buried between the roots of thefibers which form the finished nap and are wholly concealed from viewwithin the base of the nap in the finished product, as shown in Fig. b'.The nap may be stitched to the body by hand or by a sewing-machine, andthe stitching may be extended in any desired direction upon the surfaceof the nap-bat as may be required to secure it adequately to the body.

Any desired means may be used to sever the felt in reducing the size ofthe body to produce a rough and fibrous edge, to which the nap willadhere; but I have found the method of first' perforating a row of holesupon the desired line and then tearing off the margin to be the mostconvenient and effective in practice.

The invention may be applied to hat-bodies and nap-bats of any desiredshape, and the body after it is napped by the present invention may beshaped and finished in any desired manner or maybe sold in an unnishedshape.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimedherein is- 1. The method of unitinga nap-bat to a previously-feltedhat-bod y, which consists in applying` the nap-bat in a loose conditiontothe hat-body, securing the nap-bat and hat-body together by stitching,and finally working the nap into the body to unite the nap-bat and bodypermanently in the usual manner.

2. The method of uniting a nap-bat toapreviously-felted hat-body', whichconsists in applying the nap-bat in a loose condition to the hat-body,securing the nap-bat and hat-body together by a row of stitches adjacentto the edge of the hat-body and then working the nap into the body tounite the nap-bat and body permanently in theusual manner.

3. The method of uniting a nap-bat toapreviously-felted hat-body,consisting in trimming or reducing the body to the desired size with arough or torn edge, applying the napbat in a loose condition to thehat-body including its rough edge and finally working the nap into thebody to unite the nap-bat and body permanently in the usual manner.

4. The method of uniting a nap-bat toa previously-felted hat-body,consisting in trimming or reducing the body to the desired size with arough or torn edge, applying the napbat in a loose condition to thehat-body, securing the nap-bat and hat-body together by a row ofstitches adjacent to the edge of the hatbody to hold the same in properrelative position, and finally working the nap into the body topermanently unite the two in the usual manner.

5. A napped hat-body having a brim devoid of binding and a row ofstitches adjacent to the edge of the brim within andconcealed by thebase of the nap.

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6. A napped hat-body having a brim with myinventionI have signed myname, in presrough edge and devoid of binding, a nap inence of twoWitnesses, this 16th day of May, serted in the rough edge of the brim,and a 1902.

row of stitches adjacent to the edge of the ROBERT L. GORDON. 5 brimWithin and concealed by the base of the Witnesses:

nap. JAMES G. MEYER,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as JOHN T. KELLY, Jr.

